Marnie Kaplan on how to not cause – or to avert – an early childhood education workforce crisis. Andrew Rayner on life and life at Bellwether.

Axios talks conformation reflections with Betsy DeVos. She’s not the only cabinet official who matters to school policy. David Deschryver on what’s next on ESSA regs. Becca Bracy on DACA.

Michael Barber on patch and mend or transformation?

This Stephen Carter column is on bail but it points out something that education reformers would do well to remember – sometimes wonky issues offer high-leverage benefits. Bail, and the related issue of fines create enormous challenges for citizens and the criminal justice system. Within education the same sort of opportunities exist underneath the choppy politics and all the noise. Discipline is an obvious place, aspects of special education, certain vendor arrangements, transportation, and so forth.

Tom Kane has a plan for education research in the ESSA era. And Mark Dynarksi looks at the latest voucher research and some questions it raises. Van Schoales on the Colorado teacher evaluation bill’s implementation seven years in.

Gerard Robinson compares education secretaries.

Public sector v. private sector unions and politics.

The annual letter from Bill and Melinda Gates about their foundation’s work is both interesting and light on education.

ESSA Playbook from ExcelInEd. Achieve on what data states track on post-secondary.

Apparently office hours in bars are big in Texas.